EatSleepRIDE attempts a Guinness world record to advocate for motorcycle safety

Setting a world record for anything is no easy feat. Motorcycle events are especially hard given that organizers throw the dice on a number of crucial factors such as weather, number of riders and road construction. Now expand that task across 209 cities in 19 different countries to create the world’s largest synchronized ride at the exact same time and you have SyncRIDE.

Breaking a world record wouldn’t be at the top of my “to do” list, but for Marina Mann and Alex Crookes, cofounders of EatSleepRIDE, it just made sense since the technology was already there. But just doing a ride for the sake of a ride wasn’t enough. They felt it was necessary to promote motorcycle safety through the ride since, as Mann puts it, “too many people are getting unnecessarily hurt on their motorcycles”.

ESR is a GPS, location-based app that already has the features in place for each rider to simply record and post their participation across the world. While some rode individually in their own city, riding groups and shops pitched in on the efforts to get involved in this historical moment. In the Toronto/GTA area (ESR’s headquarters), the Out To Ride club and Moto Revere hosted group rides. The largest participation came from Canada, the USA, Europe and Mexico, but countries as far away as South Africa and Australia also joined.

The purpose of SyncRIDE is to raise awareness for motorcycle safety. Mann adds, “if we can be seen, we can be safe”. The event runs on the last Saturday in May, which is motorcycle awareness month in many countries around the world. While many rides focus on charities, Mariana points out that “we rarely ride for our own causes”, which prompted the theme and vision for this one.

With growth in motorcycle sales and ridership up across most countries every year, the importance of raising awareness of motorcycle riders is becoming increasingly vital. ESR is trying to avoid the dreaded “I didn’t see you”, that is usually first words uttered in a collision with a car and motorcycle. By getting drivers to be more aware of motorcyclists and help riders improve on their defensive riding skills, ESR hopes initiatives like SyncRIDE will help save lives through prevention, visibility and education.

Aside from safety, an indirect theme of the ride is inclusiveness. For many riders, it was their first time doing a group ride. Almost half of our ride didn’t have a full (“M” Class) license yet. Marina explains one of the best memories she has from the ride was when the group passed a crowd of children, overhearing one of them shout “look mom, a girl on a motorcycle!”. In a scene where nearly ¾ of the riders are male, it was great to see almost a 50/50 gender split at this ride. It was also a great feeling to see people from the sidewalk waving in support of the group, a subtle action of awareness and support, which was evidence that the ride hit it’s purpose.

The SyncRIDE resulted in 296 riders in a coordinated, synchronized ride at the exact same time all over the world. It was the first recorded of its kind. “We didn’t know if it would work, but we’re totally pumped and proud of the riders who made it possible. The more visible we are, the safer we’ll be”, explains Mann.

For those who missed out this year, there’s not need to worry. ESR is already planning for next year and anyone wanting to be part of a world record is just a click away.